This Wily Gatecrasher at the White House Is a Red Fox — Elusive Fox Marked His Territory During Government Shutdown; Rose Garden Stroll — There's a red fox living on the grounds of the White House. The elusive critter has called the presidential residence home since last fall, and no one's been able to catch him.

Deadbeat on the Range — Imagine a vendor on the National Mall, selling burgers and dogs, who hasn't paid his rent in 20 years. He refuses to recognize his landlord, the National Park Service, as a legitimate authority. Every court has ruled against him, and fines have piled up.

Princeton Study: U.S. No Longer An Actual Democracy — A new study from Princeton spells bad news for American democracy—namely, that it no longer exists. — Asking “[w]ho really rules?” researchers Martin Gilens and Benjamin I. Page argue that over the past few decades America's political system …

First on CNN: Amy Kremer resigns from Tea Party Express — (CNN) - Amy Kremer, the Tea Party Express chairman who's played a major role in elections for the past five years, is resigning. — “This has been a really difficult decision for me, but the time has come for me to leave Tea Party Express,” Kremer said Friday.

Merely Rich and Superrich: The Tax Gap Is Narrowing — Will this be the year that the superrich finally pay higher taxes than the very rich? — This is not, I admit, something that many people are worried about. — But it is an interesting fact that our current tax system assures that …

Dems' midterm strategy: Triage — House Democrats, battered by Koch brothers ads and facing a grim outlook for the midterms, are providing the clearest indication yet of how they plan to respond: By shoring up imperiled incumbents and only the most promising challengers …

The United States of SWAT? — Regardless of how people feel about Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy's standoff with the federal Bureau of Land Management over his cattle's grazing rights, a lot of Americans were surprised to see TV images of an armed-to-the-teeth paramilitary wing of the BLM deployed around Bundy's ranch.

Why atheism doesn't have the upper hand over religion — There are certain experiences that atheism simply cannot explain — I — n my last column, I examined some of the challenges facing religion today. Those challenges are serious. But that doesn't mean that atheism has the upper hand.